Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 16 005
Apply for RFA NS 16 005
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "High Impact Neuroscience Research Resource Grants (R24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 31, 2015 and posted on Aug 31, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 9, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,200,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: County governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education City or township governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) For profit organizations other than small businesses Special district governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Independent school districts State governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The High Impact Neuroscience Research Resource Grants (R24) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-NS-16-005) was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant program aimed at supporting projects that make valuable research resources broadly available to the neuroscience community. Administered in alignment with the mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the central idea was to fund efforts that enable many investigators to access, use, and benefit from important tools, materials, and services that can accelerate neuroscience research. Rather than funding individual hypothesis-driven research projects, this FOA emphasized the creation, scaling, and distribution of resources that would have an outsized, field-wide impact.
Projects supported under this FOA were expected to focus on one or more core activities tied to dissemination and provision of resources. First, applicants could propose propagation of cutting-edge reagents or techniques, meaning practical, operational work to produce and maintain high-value research materials or capabilities so they are reliably available. Second, proposals could focus on dissemination of resources to new user groups, which highlights expanding access beyond the original developers or early adopters to broader communities of researchers who could meaningfully use the resource. Third, the FOA encouraged innovative approaches to increase the scale and efficiency of resource production and delivery, such as improving throughput, standardizing workflows, reducing bottlenecks, improving quality control, or creating more effective distribution pipelines. The through-line across all three areas was delivering something usable at scale, not simply inventing something new.
A key boundary in the announcement was that applications centered primarily on technology development or software development were considered non-responsive. In other words, the program was not meant to be a typical methods-development or tool-building mechanism. The emphasis was on getting resources into the hands of researchers and making them workable, sustainable, and broadly accessible. That said, the FOA allowed that using existing technologies to develop new reagents or genetic lines of clear value could be appropriate, as long as the proposal remained fundamentally oriented toward resource provision and community benefit rather than standalone technology R and D.
The FOA also stressed that proposed resources should address compelling needs for broad communities of neuroscience researchers or provide unique services that would otherwise be unavailable. This framing favors projects with clear demand, a well-defined user base, and a plan for distribution and support. It also implies that applicants should be able to articulate why the resource matters now, who will use it, how it fills a gap, and how access will be managed so that the wider community can realistically take advantage of it.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, this was a discretionary grant program in the health category, with an estimated total funding level of about 1,200,000 dollars and an expectation of roughly five awards. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The announcement was posted on August 31, 2015, with an original and final closing date of December 9, 2015, and it was archived on January 9, 2016. The CFDA number listed was 93.853 (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders).
Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), and various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district governments, and independent school districts), as well as public housing authorities and tribal governments and organizations. The eligibility language also explicitly referenced a wide range of institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and other designated serving institutions, along with faith-based or community-based organizations and certain eligible federal agencies. At the same time, non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible; however, foreign components as defined by NIH policy were allowed, which typically means limited, well-justified elements of work occurring outside the U.S. as part of an otherwise eligible application.
Overall, this R24 opportunity was designed for groups positioned to operate or expand high-value neuroscience research resources in a way that directly strengthens the broader research ecosystem. Competitive projects under this FOA would be expected to demonstrate clear community demand, a credible plan for producing and distributing the resource efficiently and at scale, and a strong fit with NINDS priorities, with the main deliverable being access: getting real, usable resources to researchers who need them.
FAQs: High Impact Neuroscience Research Resource Grants (R24) - RFA-NS-16-005
What is the High Impact Neuroscience Research Resource Grants (R24) opportunity?
It was an NIH funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-NS-16-005) designed to support projects that make valuable neuroscience research resources broadly available to the research community. The program aligned with the mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and focused on enabling many investigators to access, use, and benefit from important tools, materials, and services that can accelerate neuroscience research.
What was the main purpose of this FOA?
The main purpose was to fund efforts that provide, scale, and distribute high-value resources for broad community use, creating an outsized impact across the neuroscience field. The emphasis was on community access and usability at scale rather than supporting individual, hypothesis-driven research projects.
How is this different from a typical hypothesis-driven research grant?
This opportunity was not aimed at funding an individual research hypothesis or a standalone research project. Instead, it emphasized resource provision: producing, maintaining, expanding access to, and efficiently distributing tools, materials, and services that many neuroscience investigators can use.
What kinds of activities were expected to be supported?
Projects were expected to focus on one or more core activities related to making resources broadly usable and accessible. These included: (1) propagation of cutting-edge reagents or techniques so they are produced and maintained reliably; (2) dissemination of resources to new user groups by expanding access beyond the original developers or early adopters; and (3) innovative approaches to increase the scale and efficiency of production and delivery (for example, improving throughput, standardizing workflows, reducing bottlenecks, strengthening quality control, or improving distribution pipelines).
What does "propagation of cutting-edge reagents or techniques" mean in this context?
It refers to practical, operational work to produce and maintain high-value research materials or capabilities so they remain reliable and consistently available to the community, rather than simply demonstrating them once in a single lab.
What does "dissemination to new user groups" mean?
It means expanding access to a resource beyond the original creators or early adopters to broader communities of researchers who can meaningfully use it, with attention to real-world access and the ability of new users to obtain and use the resource.
What kinds of improvements counted as "increasing scale and efficiency"?
The FOA highlighted approaches such as increasing throughput, standardizing workflows, reducing bottlenecks, improving quality control, and building more effective distribution pipelines. The common thread was making the resource easier to produce, deliver, and use at scale.
Was this program intended to fund invention of brand-new technologies?
No. The through-line was delivering something usable at scale, not simply inventing something new. The program emphasized getting resources into the hands of researchers in a workable, sustainable, and broadly accessible way.
Are technology development or software development projects eligible?
Applications centered primarily on technology development or software development were considered non-responsive. This program was not meant to function as a typical methods-development or tool-building mechanism.
Is any development work allowed at all under this FOA?
The FOA allowed that using existing technologies to develop new reagents or genetic lines of clear value could be appropriate, as long as the proposal remained fundamentally oriented toward resource provision and broad community benefit rather than standalone technology research and development.
What kinds of resources did the FOA want to support?
The FOA stressed resources that address compelling needs for broad communities of neuroscience researchers or provide unique services that would otherwise be unavailable. This favors resources with clear demand, a well-defined user base, and a credible plan for distribution and support.
How important was "broad community need" in this program?
Central. The FOA framed the goal as meeting compelling needs for broad communities or offering unique services otherwise unavailable. Applicants were expected to be able to explain why the resource matters now, who will use it, what gap it fills, and how access will be managed so the wider community can realistically benefit.
What was the main deliverable expected from funded projects?
The main deliverable was access: getting real, usable neuroscience research resources into the hands of researchers who need them, supported by credible plans for efficient production and distribution at scale.
Which NIH institute was this aligned with?
It was administered in alignment with the mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
What was the funding category and general scale of the program?
It was a discretionary grant program in the health category. The estimated total funding level was about $1,200,000, with an expectation of roughly five awards.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity specified that there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The announcement was posted on August 31, 2015. The original and final closing date was December 9, 2015.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. It was archived on January 9, 2016.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed was 93.853 (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders).
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations, including public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities); for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits); and government entities such as state, county, city/township, special district governments, and independent school districts. Public housing authorities and tribal governments and organizations were also included, along with faith-based or community-based organizations and certain eligible federal agencies.
Did the eligibility language include designated serving institutions?
Yes. The eligibility language explicitly referenced a wide range of institution types, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and other designated serving institutions.
Could foreign (non-U.S.) organizations apply?
No. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply.
Could non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations apply?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible.
Were any foreign activities allowed at all?
Yes. Foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, were allowed. This typically means limited, well-justified elements of work occurring outside the United States as part of an otherwise eligible application.
What types of applicants were this R24 particularly designed for?
It was designed for groups positioned to operate or expand high-value neuroscience research resources in a way that strengthens the broader research ecosystem. Competitive efforts would show clear community demand, efficient and scalable production and distribution plans, and strong fit with NINDS priorities.
What would make a proposal appear responsive to the FOA based on the description provided?
A responsive proposal would be fundamentally about providing a valuable resource broadly to neuroscience researchers, with a practical plan to produce, maintain, and distribute it efficiently at scale, and a clear explanation of why the resource meets a compelling community need or provides a unique service otherwise unavailable.
What would likely make a proposal non-responsive based on the description provided?
A proposal would likely be non-responsive if it was centered primarily on technology development or software development rather than on disseminating and providing a usable resource to the broader community.
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